2015 isn’t over yet, but already Perc Coffee ranks as one of my favorite discoveries of the year. Thanks to an old friend of Mrs. Breakfast w/Nick’s, we had Perc on our radar as a place to explore in Savannah. I combed through their Facebook page and learned they were a couple weeks away from fully opening to the public, but we had time to kill after breakfast at Clary’s Cafe, so we poked our heads in and were kindly welcomed.

Perc is a Savannah-based coffee roaster that’s been selling beans at farmers markets and supplying shops around the country. They’re settling into their relatively new industrial space, and as of early August are open on Saturdays to the public. The roastery looks pretty unassuming from the outside, but inside you’ll find a rehabbed warehouse that’s comfortable and fascinating to explore.

Taylor, one of the baristas, served as our guide. He made us three coffee drinks to showcase their various preparations and roasts.

First up, their cold brew on nitro tap. It was phenomenal – creamy, a tad sweet, no trace of bitterness. I loved the dizzy cocktail glass, too. Notice how beautiful these drinks are, all the more so from the reclaimed wooden countertops.

Next up, a macchiato made with one of their house espresso blends.

Taylor then offered to do a Chemex of one more coffee. I’ve had an interest in Costa Rican beans as of late, and he happily obliged by making their La Mirella Red Honey. Like the other two drinks, the coffee was fantastic. Rich, clean, just a touch of honey sweetness.

As you can see, the tasting was good.

While we sampled coffee and chatted with Taylor, Mrs. Breakfast w/Nick nabbed more photos of the coffee and the space.

Note the beautiful reclaimed wood walls.

And the hipster portraits.

The one room encompasses the entire business: roasting, packaging, administration, and now the public shop. While Taylor sampled coffees, there was a whole team busy packaging up coffees to ship.

When I thanked Taylor for showing us around, even though they weren’t technically open, he replied that this is the whole point of coffee: to create connection with people. What kind of coffee company would they be, he said, if they neglected the chance to connect with someone? I couldn’t agree more. The best coffee shops do this. I think many people mistakenly think third wave coffee shops aren’t about the customer interaction, when nothing could be further from the truth. They exist to create this connection on every level: from the farmer to the roaster to the barista to the customer.

Savannah folks: please support this shop. Visit their space or find them at the Forsyth Farmer’s Market. Visitors to Savannah (particularly the coffee lovers): the same goes for you. We were impressed by their space, the quality of the coffee, and most of all their hospitality. We loved the Costa Rican roast in particular, so we took some home with us!